Lee Keeps Pitching Like An All-Star

Cliff Lee, coming off his fine start for the American League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday, pitched a complete-game win for the Indians on Sunday. The left-hander gave up 11 hits, but stranded seven runners on base in a 6-2 win in Seattle over the Mariners. Kelly Shoppach hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs overall as the Indians won for the sixth time in their last seven games.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last Indians pitcher to give up at least 11 hits in a complete-game win was Charles Nagy, who allowed 13 against Baltimore on June 17, 1992.

Lee (13-2, 2.29 ERA) threw 84 of his 109 pitches for strikes in becoming the first 13-game winner in the American League this season. He struck out four without a walk in his second complete game of the year and fifth of his career.

In 133 2-3 innings overall, he has walked only 20 and fanned 110.

In working two innings in the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, he gave up one hit, fanned three and threw 16 of his 20 pitches for strikes.

The 29-year-old continues to make a strong bid to succeed former Cleveland teammate CC Sabathia as the AL Cy Young Award winner. While he's at it, Lee is an even better candidate to earn Comeback Player of the Year honors. After going 46-24 from 2004 through 2007, he endured the worst year of his career in 2007, going 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA and being optioned to the minors for more than a month to work on his game.

Shoppach (.250) continued to produce at the plate since becoming the Indians regular catcher when Victor Martinez had elbow surgery on June 13. Shoppach broke out of an 0-for-13 slide by hitting his eighth homer, a three-run shot, and an RBI single to give him 24 RBI for the season. The four-RBI game was a career high.

All-Star outfielder Grady Sizemore (.274) went 2-for-4 with a run and his 23rd stolen base. Sizemore, Jhonny Peralta (.263), Franklin Gutierrez (.220) and Asdrubal Cabrera (.188) all had doubles for Cleveland.